All We Know is Falling
by slightlysmall
Summary: Neville becomes a leader as he faces his last year at Hogwarts under the Carrow regime. Rated T for violence.
1. All We Know

A/N: I don't own anything. The characters are J.K. Rowling's. The title and each chapter title belong to Paramore. Completed for Gamma Orionis's Album to Story Challenge.

"So... he really isn't coming back?"

"Would you? Neville, I watched him apparate away from the wedding. I haven't seen him since. I don't even know if he's safe. But he's 'Undesirable Number One' and it's safer at Hogwarts for a Muggle-born than for him. You know that." Ginny looked more disgusted at having to call Harry Undesirable Number One than she would have if being asked to kiss Snape.

Neville leaned back a little into the armchair by the fire in the Gryffindor common room. "Yes, Ginny, I do know that. But all we know is falling apart here. School isn't the same. And I know it isn't true but it just seems like Harry ran away when we needed him the most."

Ginny looked at him understandingly. "I'm at a loss of what to do, too, Neville. There was a first-year Gryffindor in my Defense Agai- I mean... Dark Arts class today. I was supposed to Crucio her, and she looked so scared. I couldn't do it." Ginny sunk back into her chair, pulling her legs up and curling them underneath her. She looked scared, worn out, definitely not the girl he was used to seeing. Neville wasn't sure she had the energy for a Bat Bogey hex, not even if she really wanted to. They sat in silence for a few minutes, enjoying the comforting company of a five-year friendship. Neville didn't pressure her to speak. Memories from the Dark Arts class were enough to get anyone- even Ginny Weasley- unsettled. She eventually spoke again, "I guess if Harry were here, he not only wouldn't have done it, he probably would've said something incredibly rude to Carrow about it, landed himself a month of detentions."

It was a good point. Neville withdrew a bit from the conversation and began thinking. If Harry were here, things would be changing. Slowly maybe, but they would be changing. His roommate would fight for truth and justice and a future he believed in, he would fight regardless of consequence. It seemed now that everything Harry had been fighting for, especially since fourth year, had been a losing battle; it was over and there was nothing they could do about it. That can't have been what Harry would have wanted; it wasn't even what Neville wanted! They could give up, settle in to a life where the Death Eaters had already won. That would be the easy thing to do. But it's not what Harry would do. It's not what Neville's parents would have done. So maybe it wasn't what he should be doing either.

"Maybe, then, Ginny, it's time we start serving detentions." He fingered the coin he still kept in his pocket, hoping Hermione's spell hadn't worn off in the two years since its use.


	2. Pressure

Neville limped in to the hospital wing and over to the bed Madam Pomfrey kept made up for him, just in case he needed it. It had been two months since he and Ginny decided they needed to do something, and these days he spent as many nights here as he did in Gryffindor tower. Madam Pomfrey smiled sadly at him while he got himself comfortable. Nearly 1 a.m., and she was awake and waiting for him. He absentmindedly wondered when or if she slept as she brought over some potions then sat down at the bedside. Neville looked up at her in confusion. Madam Pomfrey was always kind, but she'd never taken to sitting at the bedsides of her patients.

She reached out and patted Neville on his scarred hand. "You're brave, Neville. But I'm tired of seeing you in here. It's not worth it anymore. Stop fighting. Go on to live as normal of a life as you can. This war isn't yours to fight. You should be home with your grandmother, or on the run with her. Not here at school where you've made such a nuisance of yourself."

Neville stared at her in amazement, nearly spilling the remedy she'd handed him to drink as he jerked around to face her. He hadn't held his tongue yet that night and he wasn't about to start. "_That_ is what you think of this war? That it's over? The war hasn't even begun yet! Who's fought? Anyone from the Order? Anyone from Hogwarts? No! Because this is just the beginning. Don't you understand that? This is just beginning! And I will keep on getting myself hurt if I have to. If you'd like, I'll stop coming to you for remedies, but I won't give in to the Carrows or Snape or anyone."

Madam Pomfrey got up and began to walk away. She never turned back to look at him as she softly said, "There will always be a bed here for you, Neville. If you need it, I'll be here to help you." She paused, then continued even quieter, but still loud enough that the boy on the bed could hear her. "I just wish you could see how much better off you would be if you didn't need to come to me at all."

Neville woke up before dawn, unable to sleep well between the pain in his leg and head and neck and trying to figure out if Madam Pomfrey was right after all. Was it well-spent, all his time in the hospital wing, in detention? Was he really making a difference? He thought back to the last several weeks with Ginny and Luna. In some ways, in this real danger, they were having more fun than they did even during the days of the original D.A. And there seemed to be more and more people willing to help them out. Even Hannah Abbott, whom he'd barely talked to before a few weeks ago, had taken to regularly joining them. Her more-or-less assigned bed in the hospital wing was across from his, but tonight he was alone.

Neville stretched and tried sitting up, realizing he wouldn't be back to sleep any time soon. The stresses of leading a rebellion in the school were getting to him, and Neville was beginning to feel even more respect for Harry than he had previously. There was certainly a lot of pressure in being the one people look to for decisions, for inspiration, for encouragement. Neville never felt like he'd belonged in Gryffindor. When had he ever been fearless, been brave? Now, though, he was beginning to think that maybe bravery is only putting on a brave face, figuring out what you might do if you were actually brave, and then doing it anyway. Maybe it isn't bravery at all if you aren't scared to do it in the first place. If so, he'd proven his bravery as a first-year standing up to his friends. And now, instead of standing up to Harry Potter, he was standing in his place, trying to fill the role of leader of Dumbledore's Army, resistor to oppression.

Neville remembered back even to just earlier that day. He had been walking the corridors after leaving Muggle Studies when Michael Corner joined him, matching his pace. He began whispering, not moving his head to face him. "What's the plan for tonight? After what Alecto was saying in class today, I could do with a little bit of chaos."

He hadn't responded. But Seamus had heard and started to nag on him too. "Yeah, Neville, what should we do? I think there are a few third-years getting bound in the chains tonight. Maybe some alohomora practice?"

"Yeah," Neville had heard from behind him. Parvati had fallen into step with the group. "We've got to keep doing something, right? Not give up? That's what you keep saying."

"Well, yeah, I guess so. Midnight, then, and release the kids from their chains?" It was a concession, reluctantly given. Was this how Harry felt leading the D.A. their fifth year? What a headache, what an inconvenience it was to be in charge. Neville almost missed the days of getting overlooked and left out. But only almost.

It was that midnight trip that landed him back in the hospital wing. Seamus was right; people were itching to get back out into action, even though it had been less than a week. A few at a time, people began arriving in the fifth floor corridor. Seamus and Michael Corner came first, then the Patil twins and Luna within a few minutes. Soon, they were joined by the Creeveys, by Hannah Abbott, by Ernie McMillain, and lastly, Ginny, who had made sure everyone from Gryffindor made it who wanted to.

Neville looked around the group, quickly counted them up, and nodded briskly. Words were dangerous, and so they were whispered between classes and never spoken after curfew. As if they had rehearsed, the group silently walked together towards the muffled cries of two third-year boys. Seamus, who was getting better at spells all the time, was the first to approach, hold his wand carefully, and whisper the unlocking charm on the chains. The boys crumpled to the ground, and Hannah rushed down to them, hushing them in their attempts to thank the D.A.

"You're Hufflepuffs, aren't you?" She whispered. One of them nodded; the other was still shaking, nursing his wrists where the chains had bound him. "What did you do to get in trouble?" Hannah continued.

"Well, we, we messed up a spell in Carrows' class. I don't remember exactly, but there was an explosion, and there wasn't supposed to be." At this, Seamus stifled a small laugh. "Right after class, he took us here, said we'd be here for 24 hours for our 'ineptitude at simple hexes.'"

The other boy seemed to be coming to. "Yeah, he called us the- the- M-word, and blood traitors, AND Squibs. I think he was just hoping to hit on something close to home, but by then we already knew it was too late. So, here we are." His voice became surer, prouder, as he continued speaking. Neville took a liking to the boys; they reminded him of himself as a third year, but a moment's reflection was all he had time for. He heard footsteps and voices and the distinct mewing of a cat. "Hannah! Take these boys back to your common room, quickly! Filch is coming, and if I'm not mistaken, the Carrows are with him; run for it everyone!"

The group scattered, heading off to their three separate common rooms. Neville stayed behind a moment to vanish the chains for good measure, but that split second cost him more than he could handle. Filch rounded the corner first. "Amycus, I found the ruckus!" He shouted greedily. "Students out of bed!"

Neville knew it was too late to run. So he did the only other thing that made sense. He stepped closer. "So what if I am?"

"You're breaking curfew, Longbottom. Adequate punishment must be arranged." Filch's deranged smile just grew wider as Amycus and his sister approached.

"Leave it to us, Filch, we have a few ideas." Neville could tell by her tone that it was not a suggestion. Whatever the Carrows had in mind, it was something they didn't even want Filch watching. Six months ago, this would have rendered a Jelly Legs Jinx entirely unnecessary. But things were different now. He had a rebellion to lead.

Amycus spoke into Neville's silence. "If I remember correctly, this is precisely the place where Wayne and Jordan were hanging this afternoon. Which means there shouldn't be any reason they aren't here anymore, should it, Longbottom?"

"Well, this is a big place, isn't it. So many hallways, moving staircases, are you sure you have the right hallway?"

They didn't seem interested in a discussion about the intricacies of the Hogwarts floor plan. "Bombarda!" Alecto shouted, blowing a small hole in the stone wall behind Neville. Then Amycus grabbed Neville and shoved him up against the cracked stone wall, now sharp and uncomfortable. Holding up his wand, he pushed its tip into Neville's throat until the pressure made him choke. Alecto managed to conjure crude chains and Amycus bound them around Neville's arms, locking the ends as he had with the third-years and suspending Neville from the ceiling. "Crucio!" He yelled, once he was sure Neville was properly bound. "Crucio!" His sister echoed, for good measure. She hadn't bothered to aim, and her curse hit him on his left shin. The chains rattled as Neville fought against the curses, but he couldn't control the convulsing of his body or the pain centering itself in his leg. He managed to keep from crying, from screaming, but probably only because his throat continued to ache where he had been jabbed.

"This should teach you to be meddling in things that aren't your business, Longbottom," Amycus said as they walked away. He took a moment to be grateful that Amycus's cruelty was compensated by his lack of wit. Neville still had his wand. "Alohomora."


	3. Emergency

Neville, Ginny, Hannah, and Luna quickly grabbed an empty compartment for their trip back to London for the Christmas holidays. Exhausted, bruised, scarred, but more than anything thrilled at the prospective of several weeks without detention or punishment, they spent their journey trying to come up with plans for further undermining the Carrows' regime and recruiting new members.

"Really, Neville, that isn't a half-bad idea. What if we just paint the wall to say 'Dumbledore's Army - Still Recruiting'?" Ginny said.

"That's perfect. We'll definitely have to remember that one," Neville said.

The Hogwarts Express screeched to a halt. They were still in the middle of the countryside, and hadn't been traveling anywhere near long enough to be back in London. Neville was reminded of third year, when the dementors had boarded the train. But this time, there was no icy feeling of his happiness being drained. This relieved him, until the shocked silence turned into screams and up and down the train there were cries of "She's not here! Leave me alone!"

Hannah turned to him, worry written on her face. "Who do you think they're looking for?"

"I don't know. But it can't be good, can it, the kind of panic they're creating?" Neville wasn't sure what to say. He didn't want to give away the bad feeling rising up from the pit of his stomach. He reached beside him and took Hannah's shaking hand in his own; he'd found recently that in comforting others, he lost some of his own fear.

Luna was sitting across from them, looking out the window inattentively. "I hope they find who they're looking for soon, so we can get moving again. I promised Daddy I'd help him with his work on the diadem over Christmas break this year, and we are very eager to get started."

Neville wasn't sure what she was talking about, but it was Luna, and her calmness made him relax enough to realize that his knuckles were turning white against Hannah's hand. He loosened his grip just as the door to their own compartment slammed open and two masked Death Eaters forced their way in. They pointed their wands at Ginny and Hannah, who were sitting closest to the door, and the one nearest Ginny said, "Lovegood. We're looking for Luna Lovegood. Tell us where she is and we'll leave everyone else in peace."

Ginny pushed aside the wand hovering near her throat and stood up to face the man. "I'll be damned if I let you anywhere near Luna. What the hell do you want her for anyway? Take me!"

"You won't do us any good, Weasley. Not yet anyway. Your own parents are doing a good enough job pretending they aren't dirty blood traitors... for now. For your lip, though, I promise you if we ever need to do any convincing for your parents, it'll be you we go after first."

Ginny threw a hex in the Death Eater's direction, but he easily deflected it. "_Bastard!_ Don't you dare talk about my family like that!We'll duel you, right here. We've taken on worse than you, haven't we, Neville?"

Neville, who was preoccupied with Hannah inching slowly closer to him, looked up to see his friend ready to fight this unknown Death Eater. He patted Hannah's hand, then stood up with Ginny. What was he supposed to say? He could be killed with the flick of a wand if they felt like it. But it didn't seem like the right time to contradict Ginny. "Yes we have. And I'm ready to fight. If you thought we'd let Luna go quietly, you were wrong."

Luna slowly stood up from looking out the window. She hadn't paid the confrontation any attention, and Neville hadn't been sure if she was even aware that they were here for her.

"Why do you want me?" She asked, straightforward as ever.

"Someone's dear daddy has been getting in over his head, with all his rubbish about supporting that Potter boy. We figured it was time to teach him a lesson. And what better way to do so than by taking captive his lovely daughter? Give him a bit of a warning."

"So, if I go with you, my Daddy will get to live and be free?" She pondered.

"Probably. If losing you is enough to keep him in line."

"Are you going to kill me?"

"Not yet."

"Okay. I'll go."

"Luna! No! Didn't you hear us? We'll fight for you! We'll keep you safe. We'll take on as many Death Eaters as we have to and keep you alive and here with us and your dad. You're our friend!" Neville was desperate. He wasn't sure how they would take on however many Death Eaters were on the train, but he knew that Luna was worth it. She shouldn't be taking a Death Eater at his word. If she goes with him, they'll probably- Neville didn't even want to think about what would happen to her if she was taken. And he seriously doubted that Luna's sacrifice would keep Mr. Lovegood from getting in any sort of trouble. It wasn't worth it.

"Neville," Luna said, her voice still flat, "I watched my mother die. She deserves to still be alive, but she isn't. My daddy deserves to be alive, and right now, he still is. If I can do something to keep him alive, I will." She turned her head from Neville to the masked men in front of her. "Okay, Mr. Death Eaters, but please be gentle. I sensed a few Wrackspurts in the area and I wouldn't really like them to get near me." The Death Eaters, moving as if surprised by her surrender, conjured ropes around her wrists and she turned to follow the Death Eaters out of the compartment.

"Luna?"

"Yes, Neville?" She called from the doorway.

"I have my coin. I'll be thinking about you. Do your best to keep safe, and don't forget what's worth fighting for."

"I won't, Neville. Love of all kinds is worth fighting for. And I think right now this," she moved her crudely cuffed hands, "is the best way for me to fight for love. To the D.A." She said, quietly, a small tear falling down her cheek as she turned away.

Neville was dumbstruck. This wasn't the kind of fighting he wanted his friends to have to be doing. He only hoped that her innocent faith in the words of Death Eaters was accurate, and that he would get to see Luna again.

Ginny, frozen in place during the whole exchange between Luna and the others, started to move, pacing back and forth, swearing, crying, muttering incoherent words punctuated with "Not Luna! Only Luna would give in so easily, but she doesn't deserve it. We should've fought harder, Neville. We shouldn't have let her go. It's all my fault for stopping at one hex, for letting Luna speak her mind."

Neville went to her and pulled her into a hug. "Shh, Ginny, it's not your fault. It's not your fault. You know Luna. You know she would do anything for her father. We could've hexed those Death Eaters to oblivion and she just would've left with the next set. It isn't your fault, Ginny." He pulled her closer, stroked her hair, tried to dry her tears. It took a lot to get her this emotional, and he'd seen her cry way too many times this year. It made him a little uncomfortable, but more than anything he was worried about her.

"You won't leave, next, will you Neville? What would you do if it were you they were coming after?"

"I'm not Luna. I would fight every last one of them. If you think that I'd leave you, leave Hogwarts like that, then you're wrong. We won't give up, okay? When we get back to school, the very first thing we do we'll make sure people know that it's for Luna. We'll do something she'd be proud of."

Ginny nodded, sniffing some and trying to overcome her tears. Neville helped Ginny back onto her bench and returned to where he was sitting, next to a very angry looking Hannah. She'd been silent since the Death Eaters interrupted them, and Neville wondered what was irking her so much. She hadn't been that close to Luna, having really only gotten to know her in the last couple of months.

"Hannah? Are you okay? I know that was just crazy..." Neville wasn't sure what he was supposed to be saying. Comforting Ginny was easier; he knew exactly why she was upset.

"I'm fine, Neville. Maybe I should just leave though, so the two of you can be alone." Her voice was snappy, but Neville could hear the thickness that implied she was holding back tears.

A look of understanding came into Ginny's eyes, and it was she who spoke first. "Oh, no, Hannah. We want you here as well. I'm sorry about all of that. I shouldn't have freaked out the way that I did. I just overreacted and Neville was, per usual, being too nice. He really should have just told me off."

Neville didn't like to hear Ginny talking like that and started to correct her. Ginny shot him a look of don't-you-dare-say-anything-right-now and he closed his mouth. What in the world was going on? In some ways, this felt stranger than the confrontation with the Death Eaters. He'd had a small expectation that something would happen to a member of the D.A. sooner or later, but whatever exchange Ginny and Hannah were having was beyond him.

Hannah gave Ginny a confused, but cold, look, before turning back to Neville. "Do you think that could happen to one of us next, what just happened with Luna? I mean... they already took my moth-" The tears she had choked back moments before started falling down her cheeks in waves. Less comfortable with his newer friend than with Ginny, he took her hand and held it, rubbing her back gently with the other hand.

"You don't have to talk about it. And I don't think another incident like this one will be happening. It was only Luna's father who continued to speak out so candidly as being pro-Harry Potter. If your father stays quiet and unassuming, you'll be fine."

"What about you? Your gran isn't exactly known for being quiet and unassuming."

Neville couldn't help but smile. "That may be, but she knows that there is a time and a place for speaking out. It doesn't seem to be a trait she's passed on to me, though, does it?" He said, looking down at his scarred hands and arms, remembering the many times his mouth had gotten him in trouble so far that year.

"I like your scars, Neville," Hannah said quietly. "They show your bravery. They show what you're willing to do for your friends... for those you love."

Neville wasn't sure how to respond, so he squeezed the hand he was surprised to find he was still holding, and he didn't let her go, even as they spent the rest of the train ride in a comfortable silence.

As they got off the train in London, Hannah pulled him aside on the platform. "Happy Christmas, Neville," she said, and kissed him on the cheek before walking away to meet her father.

"Happy Christmas, Hannah," he said in her general direction, though she was already too far away to hear him.


	4. Brighter

**A/N:** Sorry for the late-ish update; life got a little bit crazy, and this chapter, for whatever reason, was hard to write. A million thanks to my husband, who Betas all my work.

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The weeks since returning from Christmas holidays weren't the same without Luna around. Neville did what he could to rally support for the D.A., to keep things moving, but losing Luna made the chaos seem more real. Acts of rebellion were more carefully planned, and involved less detentions and less after-curfew rescue attempts. For the moment, at least, Neville's scars were fading.

Snow piled up around Hogwarts as February drew ever closer, but only a few flakes fell from the sky today and Neville decided to take a walk out to the lake during his free period. He sat down and watched the snowflakes fall to its frozen surface, feeling peace for the first time since Luna was taken. The rhythmic sound of snow crunching annoyed him as it grew louder. Someone was approaching and he'd come out by the lake in the cold to be alone, after all. But he smiled when he saw Hannah approaching him.

"Great day for a walk, isn't it, Neville," she said, sitting beside him in the snow.

"Something like that," he replied. They sat in silence for awhile, staring out at the lake. Neville blushed at her closeness. He'd known Hannah as long as anyone else at school, but this near to her, she seemed unfamiliar, almost a stranger.

"I wish I could be brave, like you." Hannah spoke suddenly, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I'm not brave, Hannah. Not really."

"Yes you are! Look at everything you've done this year. Everyone respects you now. I could never be like that."

"You already are. Being associated with the D.A., continuing to stand up to the Carrows even with Luna gone, you are brave. Even coming back to school after- after everything that happened last year."

He hadn't meant to upset her, but her body tensed beside his as her tears began to fall. He pulled her hand into his own and squeezed it in what he hoped was a reassuring way. The silence continued for a few moments before Neville turned to her.

"It's okay, you don't have to talk about it."

She coughed, swallowed, and gave him a faint smile. "Thanks, Neville. I'm just not sure I'm ready. It's barely been a year." She paused long enough to draw a deep breath. "I didn't go home right away, you know. After Herbology. I spent hours in my room, staring at everything that reminded me of her. She sent me a letter every single week. I kept them in a box under my bed. I re-read them, every single one, pictured her writing out the words, tying the letters to Malachi, our owl. The hardest was the most recent letter. It was just... ordinary. She really had no idea that just three days later, she'd..." Another breath. "I keep her picture with me. One of my favorites, from when I was only four. Do you want to see it?"

Neville nodded, took the picture Hannah had removed from a pocket in her robe.

"She was beautiful, wasn't she," Hannah said.

"Yes. And you look just like her, you know." It was true. The blonde hair, the shapes of their eyes, even the small way a smile crept up toward her cheeks had hints of her mother in it. Her eyes were still glassy from tears, but the smile there made them sparkle. He pulled her closer, wrapped his arms around her, pulled her head into his chest. Awkwardly, he leaned closer to her, brought his lips gently against her forehead. Not a kiss, not exactly. But close.

"Thank you," she said, leaning against his shoulder, shivering slightly from the cold.

"Neville, I might leave." She was barely whispering, and even so close, Neville had to strain to hear her above the light wind. "My dad isn't safe, and I don't know if I could stand it if- if- What we're doing is good for the students, but what if they do to my dad what they did to Luna? I've been okay with it, when it's just me they're punishing. But if they go after my family, I don't think I could stand it. It's cowardly, I know, but like I said. I'm not brave like you."

"I think you are brave, Hannah. And I'll think so even if you do decide to leave. You came back to school this year, came to face people someone in your place would never want to see again." He gently pulled her up so he could look her in the eye. "You still smile. I think your smile is one of the bravest things I've seen all year."

A smile broke out on her lips just then, and Neville did the bravest thing he had ever done. He slowly moved his hand from her shoulder to her cheek, tilted his head, and quickly pressed his lips to hers. He pulled back, uncertain, placed his forehead against hers, whispered to her. "If you do leave, promise to write, Hannah. Please promise to write when you can and let me know you're okay. And find me again when it's safe. I don't think I could rest until I knew you were okay."

She leaned up, kissed him. "If you promise to stay with me, I will stay here with you. Neville, I, I think I love you. I think I have for a long time."

Neville wasn't sure what to say. He really hadn't thought much about her until this year, only sought out her company since Luna left. But the more time he spent with her, the less he could take his eyes off of her. He kissed her with a bit more skill than before. "Hannah Abbott, you shine brighter than anyone." He helped her to her feet and held her hand as they walked back towards the castle.


	5. Here We Go Again

**A/N: Wow... talk about taking a long time to update. Sorry about that. But no worries, of the 10 chapters, this is the only one that I didn't know what to do with when I accepted the Album to Story challenge. I still don't own Harry Potter, still don't see J.K. Rowling when I look in the mirror... Also, please don't favo(u)rite without reviewing- let me know why you like it!**

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The seventh-years sat in Muggle Studies as Alecto tried to begin class, but no one was even trying to be respectful. Seamus and Padma were magicking a paper airplane back and forth. Lavender, a surprisingly good artist, had challenged Parvati to a game of hangman, and the half-formed hangman looked suspiciously like the witch in front of them. Neville and Hannah whispered about trivialities. "The waffles for breakfast this morning were stellar." "I'm excited for what Professor Sprout plans to teach us this week." Neville cautioned a look at Alecto. She was irritated, certainly, and a well-aimed curse at Ernie Macmillan, whose only offense was sitting too close to the front, got the class to pay attention.

She started straight into the history of witch burnings in Britain and America, but from what Neville knew about history from his Muggle-born friends and the little information he'd retained from Professor Binns's class, Alecto's version of events was beyond exaggeration- reduction of wizarding families to just one main line that had to be rebuilt, mass burnings of entire villages- Neville tried to tune her out, but started when he heard Seamus's voice cut over the droning of the professor.

"300 years ago is a long time," Seamus said. "Can you trace your ancestry back that far? If there really was only one wizarding family left, I wonder how many of those Muggles you're descended from."

She didn't grace him with an answer besides an impassioned "Crucio!" Seamus fell out of his seat, hit the floor head first, his body writhing in spasms that didn't even masquerade as natural. Neville rushed to his side to help him, see if there was anything at all he could do to soothe the pain. But before he could try, he was on his back, unable to keep in the screams. Even worse than his own unceasing pain was the noise he heard around him. Rapidfire curses hit the class, and his own scream became one in a choir until she finally relented, released her spells, and left the classroom.

With pain no longer unbearable, Neville sat up, took in his surroundings. He was overwhelmed by the smell of blood. Seamus's head was bleeding and he had a deep gash in his forearm. Something metallic and sweet hit Neville's lips and it was with a passive acceptance that he acknowledged the blood streaming from his tongue. Looking around, he noticed that most of the Slytherins, unharmed, had left with Carrow, but Draco Malfoy stood awkwardly at the back wall. Neville caught his eye.

"Go get Madam Pomfrey and Professor Flitwick. Most of us need to be in the hospital wing."

He nodded, seeming much younger than 17, and left the room.

Hannah slowly made her way over to Neville. "Are you sure we can trust him?"

Neville wasn't sure at all, but he spoke with conviction anyway. "He stayed."

She nodded, took his hand. "Now I guess we just see if he comes back."

As they waited, more members began to come to, assessing each other's wounds. Padma, herself injured, went to some of the most seriously hurt, conjuring bandages to stop the bleeding, doing whatever she could to help. It took Draco 15 minutes to return, but when he came back he was short of breath and followed by a short man and stout woman. He looked at Neville, nodded slightly, and left the classroom.

Neville found it telling that Professor Flitwick and Madam Pomfrey took in the situation with grave faces rather than seeming shocked. With no enthusiasm, the professor began to swish and flick his wand, lifting unconscious students up into the air and onto conjured hospital beds. Those who could move began to get up and walk, but Flitwick shook his head at them.

"No, I'd rather you took beds as well." He conjured a few more and helped the students into them. "_Wingardium Leviosa._" The beds rose to follow Madam Pomfrey out of the room.

It was only mid-afternoon when three-quarters of the seventh years ended up in the hospital wing, but Madam Pomfrey still had to work throughout the night to keep the students stable, healing scratches and bruises once more serious injuries were addressed.

"You do good work, Padma," Madam Pomfrey said, inspecting the location on Lavender's arm where a particularly nasty bruise had once been. "Are you planning to be a Healer?"

"Yes, I am, thank you." Padma acknowledged the compliment and went back to work on assessing damage to Ernie's knee.

By morning, though everyone was tired, they were healed enough to be cleared to go to classes. Neville and Hannah approached the Dark Arts classroom together, among the few students brave enough to enter class early. They paused at the closed door and could hear two voices talking.

"Amycus, you don't need to worry. Most of your class won't be coming today; I made sure of that. I betcha I got 'em bloody well enough that they'll be out through next week. Some Slytherins might show up, but they are never trouble."

"Good. I had thought that teaching here would be easy. About time it actually was."

As Neville heard chairs against the stone floor and the sweeping sound of robes, he opened the door himself, walked in, and sat down in the first row. Hannah followed, sitting beside him as if there was nothing out of the ordinary. In walked Seamus, Lavender, the Patil twins, inconspicuously and on much better behavior than they had been the day before. Even as the chairs filled up, Alecto was frozen in place, staring at the perfectly healthy students in front of her.

Neville turned in his chair to face her. "Planning to stay and observe the class today, Professor Carrow?"

The rage took over her face in an instant and she fumbled through her robes for her wand. "What are you _doing_ here? I thought I took care of you! Cruci-" Amycus pushed the wand out of his sister's hand, and she turned to face him, anger still boiling beneath her skin. "Amycus! These students deserve-"

"I know what they deserve, Alecto. But Crucio them now and they will be back again tomorrow, healthy as can be. These stupid kids aren't the problem! Can't you see? What we need to do is make sure they don't have a hospital wing to run to." The rage in his sister's face was replaced by a menacing smile, which Neville found even more worrisome. "Well then, class, it looks like we'll be having a field trip today. Come along." The sweetness in her voice brought back memories of Professor Umbridge, but the compulsion in his body to follow her told him he'd been set under the Imperius Curse, and he marched in time with his classmates to the hospital room.

Amycus slammed the doors to the hospital wings and locked the students in, but this magic was too much when combined with holding most of the seventh-year class under the Imperius Curse and Neville felt himself snap out of the dreamlike daze he had been in. As he adjusted to having control over his own body, other students were already busy at work. Ernie's simple "Alohomora" unlocked the doors, and Hannah helped the few sick students out of the wing. But not a single seventh-year left the room.

Wands out, they encircled the Carrow siblings. Incompetent as they normally seemed, the two stood back to back and began firing hexes in a circle, and members of the D.A. who had just overcome their injuries from the day before started falling to the ground. Madam Pomfrey heard the noise and ran out from her small office at the back of the wing.

"Alecto! Amycus! What do you think you are doing?" Her wand was out and at the ready as she moved closer to them. "Have you had the thoughtfulness to bring the children here this time before cursing them to the edge of death?"

"We just thought today's class could use with a field trip, and some firsthand experience with watching someone fall. I don't think your services will be needed here any longer, Poppy," Amycus said.

Alecto chimed in. "I'm not sure your resignation papers will be necessary, either, ma'am. There is a good old-fashioned way of removing people from their posts, and guaranteeing they won't be returning." She raised her wand to the astonished healer. "Avad-"

Neville isn't sure how they all reacted at once, but the students closest to Madam Pomfrey conjured shield charms at the same time, and Alecto never finished the words of her curse.

"Neville, Hannah, Padma, kids, get out of here! How many times do I have to tell you that this is not your battle to fight?"

"We're of age, Madam Pomfrey. And you healed us yesterday. What kind of repayment would it be to leave you here now?" Seamus said.

"I can't say I'm not grateful, but this isn't a safe place to be right now!"

"Without you here, I can't say it will be much safer," Hannah added. "You've done so much for us this year."

Their shield began to lose strength and faded altogether as the Carrows finally blasted through it. Neville turned back to a distraught-looking Madam Pomfrey. "Run! Now!"

She didn't respond, but she held her ground for a few seconds, dueling impressively for a healer and surprising Neville in the process. Shots of green light were fired her way, but she deflected them and did what she could to protect the students as well. A few jinxes later and the combined efforts of Dumbledore's Army and the healer who had spent the year keeping them alive knocked the Carrows to the ground and bound them up, unconscious.

"I suppose we can't get rid of them forever," Seamus said, looking down at them. "Or else who knows what Snape would do to us. Or You-Know-Who."

"No, Seamus, we certainly can't. And we shouldn't fight fire with fire, either. Not yet. I think they are down fairly well. With the help of a little concoction I can brew up right quick, I should be able to spare you a few more days without them before they wake up again."

Professor McGonagall walked in to the hospital wing to the sight of several students holding open the mouths of the unconscious Carrows for the potion to be poured down their throats. "What's going on here?" When she'd been filled in on everything that had happened in the last two days, she pulled Madam Pomfrey aside and spoke to her in a low voice, but not so low that the students in the room couldn't hear her.

"Now, Poppy, as much as I would love to send the Carrows packing, you know that isn't possible right now. But if they are after you now, Hogwarts isn't safe. If I were you, I would be down in Hogsmeade ready to apparate to Ireland before the hour strikes. And I can guarantee that when Hogwarts returns to being the school it was intended to be, your position will be here and you'll be receiving an owl letting you know when everything is all right. But in the meantime..."

"I understand, Minerva, and you're likely right. I want to be here and help as much as I can, but I suppose the children are in danger whether I stay or go. Keep an eye on them, will you? Oh, and Padma?"

Padma started at the mention of her name, but got up to face the healer. "Yes, Madam Pomfrey?"

"I trust that you'll be very busy in my absence. Here's a bit to help you out." She began stuffing item after item from her personal stock of remedies into a small satchel that Neville suspected had been altered by the Undetectable Extension charm.

Padma took the heavy bag from her and nodded. "Thank you, I'll do my best."

That evening, Neville and Hannah sat by each other for dinner, talking in hushed voices about everything that had gone on. Hannah turned to face her boyfriend. "I'm sad to see her go. She did so much for us this year."

"I'm not, not really."

"Neville! What do you mean? You were in the hospital wing more than anyone; I thought you were really grateful for her."

"I was- I am. But I can't say I'm sad to see her go. Imagine the kind of trouble she'd be in if she tried healing even one more student. Her being here wouldn't have stopped the Carrows from going after us. But with her gone, at least we know she's safe. And I trust Padma. She did some brilliant work yesterday, don't you think?"

"I guess you're right. If there is a way to keep anyone safe, it's the right thing to do." She paused for a moment, squeezed Neville's hand. "You know, it's strange. It feels like forever ago that we were sitting in the snow and I was telling you how scared I was, how I might leave. It frightens me a little how indifferent I've become. I feel like I've forgotten everything that just a few weeks ago I swore that I meant."

"You're still you, though," Neville said, kissing her forehead. "I don't think anyone will make it through this school year and be the same as they were before. I can't be sure about everyone, but I would say that at least as far as you and I are concerned, we're better for it."


	6. Let This Go

**A/N: I still haven't magically woken up as JK Rowling, so anything you recognize belongs to her. More thanks to my husband for his excellent Beta work.**

Amycus started his Dark Arts class one morning by writing out a long list of hexes, then Imperiusing two scared third-year girls in Ravenclaw colors to stand beside him at the front of the room. "These two Half-Bloods," he spit the word out of his mouth like garbage, "were found after hours in the library last night, digging through the Restricted Section, and Alecto and I agreed that they should be rightly punished. As you can see, I have a list of hexes- some common, some less so. Fifteen house points to the individual who is able to use the most of them successfully by the end of class. Two lines, please," he said, chaining the girls to the wall and keeping them under the Imperius curse so they couldn't move as the seventh-years lined lined up.

Crabbe and Goyle took the front places in line, and a few Slytherins were quick to follow. The rest of the students hung back, trying to keep themselves from having to face the young girls in front of them.

Hannah came close to Neville to whisper to him, "Do you know any of those hexes? Which of them would hurt least? Maybe I could choose a mild one and purposely miss?"

"Hannah," he said, trying to sound more stern than he felt, "We can't do this to them. We have to be the example, do the right thing, don't we?"

"I know you're right, but if we don't hurt them, or at least look like we're trying to, what do you think Carrow will do to us?"

"I guess I'll know in an hour or so," he said, refusing to choose a line.

He watched as some of the D.A. members took their turns and missed, and he couldn't help but chuckle when Seamus's hex went straight for Carrow's desk in a corner and he shrugged it off with an, "Oh well. Never was much for aiming straight, myself."

Amycus's face filled with fury as he went to reorder his desk, but rather than casting a second glance to Seamus, Amycus's eyes met Neville's in what seemed to be a dare. Neville's heart skipped a beat or two, but he refused to lower his eyes or step into one of the lines. "Longbottom, out in the hall. Now."

He turned to the door with something nearing relief in his eyes; the Carrows preferred audiences for torturing, so he couldn't imagine anything bad happening to him.

Once they were both outside the classroom door, Amycus took Neville by the collar and pushed him up against the wall behind him. "I don't know what all you're doing, kid, or how you're doing it, but you better get yourself in line and start following class instructions."

"I don't think I can do that," Neville said.

"There are consequences for your actions, and I will be sure you pay for yours. I will be absolutely certain."

"What are you going to do to me? You've already tortured me twice. I've lost count of the scars I have on account of you and your sister. What can you do to me that is going to scare me into torturing others?"

"See, that's the thing, Longbottom. I don't have plans to do anything - to you." And with that, he dropped his grip on Neville's collar and pivoted back toward the classroom door. "Back inside, then, shall we? And onto the task at hand?"

The limp and bleeding bodies of the Ravenclaws were nearly enough to make Neville gag as he entered the classroom again. But in spite of himself, Amycus's ambiguous words were gnawing inside of him, and he found himself walking numbly into line, and aiming a hex at a school desk nowhere near the girls.

Feeling his professor's eyes on him, Neville said, "Don't worry, Professor. All my previous Defense professors have said that I'm useless with a wand."

Neville was sitting in the library after dinner the next evening, surrounded by a pile of Transfiguration textbooks, when Padma came running in, nearly toppling bookcases over as she made her way closer to him. The look on her face was beyond panicking, and Neville found himself unsure of what to say to her.

Padma opened her mouth and closed it several times before she was able to get words out. "The hospital wing- it's been completely trashed, everything is unsalvageable, and I don't know what to do. We need some sort of hospital, now."

"What happened?"

"It's Hannah." Padma hadn't finished saying her name before Neville was out of his chair, knocking over a few books as he got up, rushing past her to get out into the hallway.

"Where is she? What happened to her? Will she be okay?" His heart was pounding in his chest and his breaths came shallow and fast, demanding an answer from his friend.

"It was Alecto. And she- oh Neville, she looks worse than anyone I've seen yet. We need somewhere to take care of her, somewhere the Carrows can't get to."

_It's my fault, it's my fault, it's my fault_, he thought, trying to keep himself from crumpling onto the floor in defeat. He should've known. He should've known that's what Amycus had meant. Out of nervous habit, Neville fingered the fake Galleon he always kept in his pocket, and its warmth sparked an idea. "Come with me."

He flew up the staircases, finally remembering to skip over the disappearing step, and finding himself in the seventh floor corridor. Pacing back and forth and trying to block everything else out, he focused all of his energy into forming a coherent sentence inside his head. "I need a hospital wing with beds and supplies, that none of the Carrows or their supporters can get to." His pacing stopped and a doorway appeared where none was before, and Neville entered a room that had done an excellent job mimicking the old hospital wing. Turning behind him to face Padma, he said, "Well what are you waiting for? Go get her and bring her back here!" He told her the phrase he'd thought to make the doorway, and sent her on her way. Alone again, he slumped into a corner, not bothering to pull up a chair, and buried his head in his hands. _It's my fault, it's my fault, it's my fault._

Each thump of his racing heart against his chest felt like an eternity and he wanted Hannah there now, he needed her there, needed to see that her lungs still rose and fell with oxygen, needed to hold her hand in his and feel the pulse in her wrists. He needed to apologize, to see her, to think of a way to get revenge on the siblings who had planned this. He wanted to turn back time and protect her so he wouldn't be sitting here at all.

But when Padma and Susan arrived, Hannah held between them almost lifeless, he just wanted the thump thump thump of his own heart to stop altogether. Looking at her hurt every inch of his being as he took in her blood-stained hairline, the impossible angle that connected her hand to her arm. He had stood up at their entrance, sincerely wanting to help, but fell back against the wall, reminding himself to keep breathing and wishing that he didn't have to. _It's my fault, it's my fault, it's my fault._

Susan gave him an understanding look as they lay Hannah down on one of the hospital beds. Padma, so calm and collected just a few weeks ago when she worked as Madam Pomfrey's assistant, seemed unsure of what to do first, rummaging through the bag she'd been left with, pulling things out and then pushing them back inside, only half-glancing at the labels.

"Here, let me help you," Susan said, taking the bag from her friend and digging through it for relevant things. With her choices narrowed down, Padma started to work, setting the bone, addressing the injuries on her stomach and legs, while Susan worked to wipe away the blood from Hannah's forehead. Neville was hardly able to think straight, but he needed to do something, anything, to keep his mind from focusing across the room at the pain his girlfriend was experiencing.

He pulled the D.A. coin out of his pocket and began the slow work of charming it to let everyone know where they were, and throughout the evening various students stopped by to check on them, to bring in sweets from Honeydukes, to offer Neville a reassuring pat on the shoulder. He had no idea how much time had passed when Padma and Susan left Hannah's bedside and turned to him.

"There's nothing else we can do tonight, Neville. She'll be okay though."

He let himself take his first full, deep breath since he'd been in the library earlier that day. "Thank you, Padma. Thank you so much."

"Are you planning on staying?" Susan asked him.

"I can't leave her."

A faint smile appeared on Susan's face. "I thought so. In any case, would you mind if Padma and I left for awhile?"

"Go ahead. And thank you, both of you. I wouldn't have known what to do."

He pulled himself up from the spot on the floor he had barely moved from since entering, and crossed the room to his girlfriend's side, expelling a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding once he heard her own faint breathing. He wasn't sure if she was conscious, if she could hear him, but he had to talk to her. He pulled up a chair along her left side, so he could hold her uninjured hand.

"I'm so sorry, Hannah. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have been so stubborn, shouldn't have thought that I could lead anyone here, I shouldn't have left your side if I knew they were after you." She didn't move, didn't react to the squeeze of her hand, just lay there, shallow breaths. Neville was only faintly surprised as he tasted salt on his lips and realized he had tears slowly streaming down his face.

"Will you ever be able to forgive me?" Time passed. Neville wasn't sure whether it was seconds or hours that he measured with each heartbeat and she still hadn't woken up. It should be him on the bed falling to pieces. He incited everything, decided that he had needed to be brave. Maybe it was this leadership that had gotten Hannah to notice him, to really see him in the first place, but now it was taking her away from him. _It's my fault, it's my fault, it's my fault._

The sound of the door opening had Neville jumping and reaching for his wand, but it was just Ginny coming in with a hot plate of food. "I brought this for you from the kitchen."

"Thanks, Ginny. What time is it?"

"Nearly midnight."

"Already? Wow. You risked coming up here after hours?"

"I have Fred and George for brothers. I knew what I was doing."

Neville smiled and walked over to take the plate from Ginny. "Well I'm definitely glad you came." She followed him to the chairs near Hannah and sat down near him, chatted with him about incidentals, completely ignoring the nearly lifeless body in front of them. It was probably good for him, getting out of his head for a little while, pretending that everything was all right. They chatted over their plans for the upcoming Easter holiday, kept up a facade of normalcy.

After a few minutes, though, as their plates emptied, Neville began to grow sick of that pretending, wanted to change the topic, ask her how she could keep breathing without knowing how Harry was, while he struggled to breathe evenly with Hannah here, holding her hand. He wanted to talk about something real, but all that was real around them was war. But Neville couldn't find the words to talk about it.

A quick hug, and Ginny was gone. Neville returned his attention to his girlfriend, talked to her, and soon saw her eyelashes fluttering. "Neville?"

"Hannah!" He cautiously leaned down to kiss her cheek. "How are you feeling?"

"Pretty awful, honestly. But I'm still breathing, so that's something."

"You've become so brave, Hannah, so different than the start of the year. I feel like I hardly know this side of you, but it's wonderful. You're wonderful."

"Are you going to stay here with me?"

"Of course. I'll never let you go."


	7. Whoa

**A/N: I still don't own the characters, or the Paramore song that loosely loosely loosely inspired this chapter. Thanks to my husband for Beta-ing even though this chapter is rather long. Edit: I didn't realize FF got rid of my strikethroughs... so in the correction letter below, imagine the underlined portions are strikeouts. Thanks!**

Hannah recovered quickly and was back in classes within a week, despite Neville's insistence that she leave school for the rest of the year. The scare with Hannah had everyone compliant during the week before Easter holidays, completing lessons to the best of their abilities, trying to stay out of trouble for the first time since October. Scars faded, but never fully disappeared. The Carrows still had their eye on Neville, and despite his relative good behavior for the week, he was still the subject for demonstrations of torture techniques, and snide remarks in hallways made it painfully clear that they weren't done trying to deter him, that they would find more ways to force him into submission.

Despite the relative calm, tension in the air was nearly palpable, and the fading scars had Neville braced for news on whatever would be happening next. News came Thursday morning, as it usually does, in the form of the _Daily Prophet._ He wasn't sure why he still bothered receiving the newspaper, as he doubted far more than he believed, but twisted or not, it was some way to stay in touch with the outer world, to attempt deducing how much of a hold Voldemort had on the Ministry, the paper, the world at large. It was part of his morning routine to skim the article headlines during breakfast, but today he found himself choking on his bacon as he turned to page three.

_**Augusta Longbottom Captured **_

_After many attempts to defy the Ministry, Augusta Longbottom, 76, was captured last week at her home in London. Longbottom attempted to overcome the Ministry workers sent to find her, but was easily overpowered. She is currently in a holding cell awaiting trial._

Neville wasn't sure how much truth there was in the article, but seeing his gran's name in the paper was enough to make his heart skip a few beats, and it was all he could do to keep himself from hyperventilating. Ginny and Hannah sat on either side of him, trying to calm him down, when their efforts were interrupted by an owl irritably pecking at Neville's forearm. He detached the note from its outstretched leg and sent the owl on its way, nearly sighing in relief to see his grandmother's handwriting spelling out his name. A _Daily Prophet _was attached to the note, but he opened the letter first.

_Hello, dearie!_

_I'm not sure how often you get a chance to read the _Daily Prophet,_ so I've included my copy along with this note. I'm mentioned on page three! Granted, not a single fact is right beyond the fact that people showed up at my house on Tuesday, but I still appreciate my fifteen minutes of fame. Go ahead and read the article, and below I've left my corrections to its text._

Neville exchanged the note for the newspaper in his hand, and turned dutifully to page three. He couldn't help but laugh at his grandmother, who'd taken the time to fold down the page and highlight the article where she was mentioned. Noting that it was the same article he'd just read, he returned his attention to the note, where his grandmother had transcribed the article.

After many attempts to defy the Ministry _Death Eaters_, Augusta Longbottom, 76, _74 (you think they'd at least get my age right),_ was captured _attacked_ last week at her home in London _(as if I would live in London! Honestly!)_. Longbottom attempted to overcome the Ministry workers _Death Eaters _sent to find her, but was easily overpowered _them_. She is currently in a holding cell awaiting trial -_well, I can't tell you that, dear. But the Ministry is the last place you'd find me_.

_I hope you've come to regard the _Daily Prophet_ for the quality of information it brings. A good Hogwarts barn owl should suffice for sending your poor old grandmother a letter in return. It's been awhile since I heard from you; you are_ _like your father, as always. And no excuses about worrying for my safety. I highly doubt I'll be found, and even if I am, I've proven I can take care of myself now. I expect to hear from you by end of next week, or else you'll be sure to hear from me again._

_All my love,_

_Gran_

_P.S. This year, I'd recommend a stay at Hogwarts for the Easter holidays._

"Wow." Ginny took the note from Neville and re-read it, then repeated herself. "Just, wow. I wonder where she is."

Hannah turned to him as well, took his hand into hers. "Are you going to write back?"

The question irritated him, and his voice was harsh as he responded to her. "What could I say? That I'm half-sure they attacked her because of me, like they took Luna because of her father? Do I give her a play-by-play of how my girlfriend was tortured? Do I send her a diagram of all my scars? And even if she isn't worried about being found, there is the trouble we could be in if I put information about the D.A. into the letter. I certainly can't tell her about the Galleons; it's driving the Carrows mad not knowing how we're doing it all. Give me a few days to think about it, and I'll write her next week, after the Easter holidays."

A kind of numbness took over Neville as he went through his day; it seemed his vision was blurry, though his vision was fine; his brain didn't seem to accompany him to any of his classes, including Herbology. His heart wasn't into anything because it was with his gran somewhere out in the world, half worried and half proud of her. Ginny had Dark Arts at the same time as seventh-year Herbology, and so his mind was with her, too, stretched in too many directions to concentrate, worried more than he'd been all year. The Carrows didn't seem to have boundaries, to have a line in the sand that defined fair play, and all he could think of was how long they had to wait for the next bad thing to happen.

The next bad thing was happening as he sat brooding in Herbology. After class that afternoon, Neville was sitting in a plush armchair, staring blankly at the fire in the Gryffindor Common Room when Ginny came in. She was much later than usual, but the look on her tearstained face combined anger with shock and sadness, and it kept him from reprimanding her.

"Ginny...?"

"There are some sick, sick people in the world, and they can all go to hell."

"What happened?"

The time she spent taking deep breaths with her head in her hands was nearly unbearable for Neville, but he didn't press her. It wasn't fifteen seconds before she began speaking, but it felt like a lifetime. "She was a first-year Gryffindor. I'd seen her in here a few times, poring over books. She reminded me a lot of Hermione, really, though they couldn't have looked more different. Carrow never said what her offense was. He didn't really have time. Richard Harper, and Howard Flint- you know Marcus's little brother- saw her up at the front of the class. She was trying to look brave, that much was obvious, and she stared straight at the class. But as Carrow got up to speak, Flint and Harper left their seats and began firing hexes and curses at her. I guess all of Carrow's classes had been working, too. I hadn't seen either of them use magic so effectively." She laughed, but the sound was cold and distant.

"I had to look away, by the end. We tried to get to them, stop them from what they were doing, but Carrow sent some milder hexes our way to stop us, then added a shield charm for good measure. The moment I could, I ran out looking for Padma. She was in Transfiguration at the time, and McGonagall didn't complain or even question as I pulled her into the hallway and back to the classroom. The girl was already limp by the time I got there, and the floor was soaked in blood. Everyone had left; they just left her there to- to-" A deep breath, a deliberate swallow to hold back a sob. But Ginny continued.

"Padma did all she could. But we were too late. They should've just used the Killing Curse, gotten rid of her outright instead of making her suffer like that. Oh Neville, I didn't even know her name."

At that, she fell apart. Ginny broke out into sobs that had Neville out of his chair and comforting her before he was aware of what he was doing. He sat silently beside her as she cried on his shoulder, his arm awkwardly around his friend. It was only the growling in both of their stomachs minutes or hours later had him carefully getting up from beside her.

"I'm going to go get some dinner; I'll bring you back something if you want."

She nodded slowly, like the energy it took to do so was more than she could bear. "I'd like that."

The Great Hall was more crowded than Neville was comfortable with as he made his way to the Gryffindor table. He saw Harper and Flint and had to stop himself from saying or doing anything to them. As he sat down and began to eat, Amycus Carrow stood up and cleared his throat. "I wanted to make a public announcement of some house points earned today. A half-blood little firstie was brought to my sixth-year class today for punishment, and as a result of the hard work of Richard Harper and Howard Flint, there is one less blood-tainted student among us today. For that, I award 25 points to each of them."

Many of the Slytherins were clapping and whooping, as they would for any house points they earned. Neville's attention couldn't stay there long. Two first-year Gryffindors far down the table from had thrown up into their food, and a Hufflepuff girl had fainted. Others, more brave and steady, were crying out in protest. He picked out the voices of Michael Corner, Ernie Macmillan, and Parvati Patil before grabbing randomly at the food in front of him to have something to bring back to Ginny; he ran from the hall the sound of the Slytherin cheering still ringing in his ears. His own vision became blurry as he fought the tears in his eyes, blindly dashing up and up, and not even running out of breath as he reached the Fat Lady and gave the password.

"Bamboozled." It seemed fitting.

His arrival felt like a reprise from earlier, except in reverse.

"Neville, what happened? You weren't gone half an hour."

"Carrow awarded Harper and Flint 25 house points each for what happened today." He handed her the food and nearly collapsed into the armchair he'd been sitting in earlier. "As if it wasn't already bad enough, he had to announce it like it was something to be excited about. Disgusting."

"No..." And though they sat together for another hour, it was the last word spoken between them before they went up to their respective dorms to sleep.

Neville couldn't remember anything specific about his classes that Friday. As he arrived in a classroom, he was surprised to find himself there, unable to remember the journey from one place to the next. He was glad it was a holiday weekend with little homework; he planned on sleeping it away, trying to remain in oblivion and out of his thoughts. After classes that afternoon, he found himself staring blankly at the fire in the Common Room, trying his hardest not to think. Ginny came in, limping and bleeding, and Neville, suddenly aware of himself and his surroundings, rushed to her side.

"Ginny! Are you okay? What happened? Have you talked to Padma?"

"I've seen Padma," she said, brushing off his attempts to help but still sitting in her usual place near the fire.

"Ginny," Neville repeated after a few minutes of uncomfortable silence. "Why did they do this to you?"

She took a deep breath and stared at the ground in front of her as she began to speak. "They wanted me to look terrible when I went home for the holiday. They don't want me coming back, and I'm nearly certain it's going to work. Makes me wonder if my name's been pointing to 'Mortal Peril' on my mother's clock. If so, this is probably the last day I'll see you before summer."

"I'm sorry, Ginny."

Neville was virtually alone that weekend; every parent wanted their child home safe, where they could be properly looked after. Neville himself had nowhere to go. He wouldn't be spending his holiday at St. Mungo's, and couldn't go looking for his grandmother. He'd be a liability to the Weasleys, and Mr. Abbott wouldn't let him join Hannah. So he spent much of his time at the Room of Requirement, trying to figure it out, fairly certain they would have need for it again.

Monday morning arrived, and Hogwarts was less crowded than it had ever been before. Neville was in the Common Room when Parvati and Lavender returned, and he watched student after student file in, grave looks on their faces. Ginny never came.

At breakfast, he was nudged by Pigwidgeon, and gratefully took the letter from his leg. Neville noticed Ginny's handwriting and opened the scroll to see it was more a note than a letter, a short paragraph written hastily.

_Neville,_

_I wanted to let you know I was right- about my parents and the clock. I won't be returning to Hogwarts this year, but I can't tell you where I am. Please don't send an owl back. I hope to see you soon, and please burn this when you get it._

_Much love,_

_Ginny_

_P.S. I keep a Galleon in my pocket, for emergencies._

Neville sighed and held out his wand. "_Incendio_." With the way things were going at school, he'd soon have to find a place to hide, to keep himself safe from threats that just kept getting worse and worse. But Ginny's note had reminded him that he still had a letter to write to his grandmother. Having nearly an hour before his first class, Neville returned to the Common Room and grabbed parchment and a quill. He found it surprisingly easy to lie.

_Dear Gran,_

_Thank you for your letter; I will make sure to remember the accuracy from the article about you every time I read the paper. As for how things are going at Hogwarts, well, things are definitely different than they used to be. I've hoped for change, and it gets better every day. There are still a few things going wrong here, but I am doing fine and can get through it all alone- since Harry Potter never showed up this year, and so many of my friends are not making it through the school year. We are definitely grateful that so far there has only been one death during class this year, and the Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs have really become close this year. My Easter holiday was spent at school, as you requested. I hope you are doing well._

_All my love,_

_Neville_

Would she be able to sense his sarcasm? He hoped so. Could she pull out the truth from the lies? He was far from certain.


	8. Conspiracy

Neville didn't have to do anything wrong anymore. It had been days since he'd attended a class that wasn't taught by the Carrows; every time he'd sit down in Herbology, a Slytherin would come for him, drag him along back to Dark Arts, chain him against the wall. Amycus seemed to take the D.A. in turns, and even with Susan helping her, Padma couldn't keep up with the injuries plaguing three-quarters of the seventh years. It seemed like since the D.A. couldn't deal with the gravity of what was really happening, they took it lightly instead, comparing battle scars with tales that didn't have to be exaggerated, laughing out of fear they'd fall into despair.

Limping back to his Common Room after dinner one night, Neville began to wonder just how much more he could take. He wasn't scared anymore; any fear he'd had was literally beaten out of him, and he felt prepared to stand up to them as long as it would take. But even though there were less than two months left for his final year at Hogwarts, he had lost certainty that he'd make it out whole. Surely there were many injuries that the magic of an 18-year-old witch- even one as talented as Padma- couldn't fix. The Carrows had even begun using dark enough magic that repair beyond a certain point was impossible. There were some scars he would always have now.

He kept close to the wall, not looking up to meet the eyes of students and professors, not wanting the next eyes he met to be the black unfeeling eyes of his tormentors. It came as a surprise, therefore, when he felt his robes tighten around his neck, the rough voice of Amycus in his ear. "You're next, you know. All we've yet to know is whether you'll be in St. Mungo's with your mummy, or packed in next to that first-year." And with that, he was gone.

As Carrow rushed up the staircase, pushing children out of his way, Neville stopped mid-step, waited for the staircase to finish moving, and ran back down it toward the Hufflepuff Common Rooms, hoping that a student would be nearby to let him talk to Hannah.

Thankfully, Susan was with him, and she went to retrieve her friend. Neville leaned back against the cold stone wall, Amycus's words racing through his mind.

"Neville?" Hannah appeared outside the Common Room door, limping and worry spread over her lightly scarred face. "What happened? You were only gone ten minutes. They didn't attack you again, did they?"

"Not this time," he said. For the first time in awhile, he found it hard to meet his girlfriend's eyes, found his lips shaking as he tried to compose the words to what happened. "Carrow threatened me as I was heading back to Gryffindor. Said something like how it won't be long until I'm in St. Mungo's, or- or- with Evie Thompson, the Gryffindor first-year-" his voice broke.

Hannah reached him, kissed his cheek, and took his hand. "Do you want to go for a walk? Talk about it?"

Neville nodded. "Okay, but we'll need to speak softly; I don't want anyone to find out that he's getting to me."

A squeeze of his hand, a sad smile on her lips, and they walked together toward the grounds. He didn't look at her, eyes straight ahead and unfocused, moving by memory rather than sight. Neville wasn't sure why it got under his skin, why whispered words in a hallway affected him more than being chained to a wall and being subject to everything from Crucio to Bat Bogey Hexes in the past few months. Perhaps in the end a threat is far worse than physical damage, and Neville began to wonder if simply wondering what would happen to him next, and when, would be enough to secure him a bed beside his parents.

When they made it to a secluded spot on the far side of the lake, Neville began mumbling, rushing through what happened in the hallways less than an hour beforehand. He spoke in fragments, out of order, his voice trembling as he relived the cold breath on his neck, the softly spoken words.

"I'm sorry, Neville, but could you speak up a little? I'm sure no one followed us out here, and I really want to understand what happened."

"Okay, I'm sorry. It was so sudden, anyway, couldn't have been more than ten seconds, but they scared me out of my wits. I was walking back after dinner, keeping to myself, trying to avoid any more trouble, when I felt a tightness on the collar of my cloak. He didn't even turn me around to face him, just whispered in my ear, 'You're next.'" He paused and looked out over the calm water of the lake, wondered how it could be so still when there was so much chaos inside the castle. "I really don't get it anymore. It's like they're out to get me, even though I've barely done anything wrong since Ginny left. I don't know how much longer I'll be able to stand it."

"Maybe you shouldn't."

"What do you mean?"

"Maybe it's time you listen to everyone who's cautioned you; maybe it's time for you to disappear, too."

His voice was barely a whisper. "The year is nearly over. Luna was kidnapped. Ginny was sent home to avoid a beating worse than she'd already received. I'm still here, Hannah. I'm still here and scarred and sore, but really the war hasn't even started yet. You think I could just give up now and save myself."

She tensed at the accusation, swallowed, sighed. "Neville, you haven't gone to a traditional class in more than a week. Maybe it's selfish of me, but I can't stand the idea of not knowing whether each goodbye is the last time I'll see you alive. You've done so much this year, you really have, but maybe it's time to let go."

"I haven't done enough to keep Evie alive," he said, but he knew this small battle was over. It was only in the last two years that he'd felt like he really was a wizard with brilliant parents, that he had any chance at all of living up to their legacy, and cut after cut he felt himself becoming worthy of being Gryffindor, someone that his parents and grandmother could be proud of. But it seemed that without Ginny here, he'd begun to lose the power he'd so recently discovered he had. The only thing he wasn't sure of is whether it was the Carrows's hatred or Hannah's loving concern that was stripping him of it.

Neville stood up and offered a hand to Hannah. "I have nowhere to go, you know."

"Yeah, I know. That's why I was thinking-"

"The exact same thing I was?" The coldness he felt just moments before evaporated in the sun.

"Well, it's worked in the past, and you really seem to have a way of making it listen."

Neville briefly looked away at the compliment and ignored it as he responded. "Meet you there just before curfew? Whatever I'm capable of, it will be better with you there to help."

They parted ways at the Hufflepuff Common Room and Neville made his way back to Gryffindor tower using as many secret passageways as he could remember. Ginny had spent the entire first term pointing them out, over and over again, and he was finally able to remember enough that he could get across the castle with reasonable certainty that he would remain unseen. He spent the evening packing his things, avoiding answering Seamus's questions with any specificity, just saying that it wouldn't be the last of him.

Thirty minutes before curfew, he set out, his things crammed into a bulging bag that he dragged conspicuously to the seventh floor. He waited a few minutes by the entrance, trying to work out exactly what he was going to say. When there was no sign of her, he began to pace deliberately back and forth and soon a door opened in front of him.

He was met by what amounted to a spacious bedroom; a four-poster bed identical to the one in Gryffindor Tower was along one wall, a chest at its foot. The whole room was decorated in red and gold, with a Gryffindor banner along the back. A bookshelf opposite the bed contained Herbology books, _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Him_, and _Quidditch through the Ages_, which Neville found fascinating despite his inability on a broom. With no bunk mates to compare himself to, in a room catered wholly to his own desires, Neville had never felt more at home; the small voice in the back of his mind saying that Hannah was supposed to meet him there fell nearly silent in his contentment.


	9. Hogwarts

**A/N: I break canon in this chapter some, just in terms of the timeline for things happening, and the reasons they happen. It's not a serious deviation, I just wanted to say that anything wrong you do notice is likely something I'm already aware of. I highly recommend reading this chapter with Paramore's 'Franklin' playing in the background, as it inspired this chapter, especially near the end. Also, it's a beautiful song. Only one more chapter to go! [I'm not JK Rowling, or a member of Paramore, and don't own anything you recognize.]**

Neville awoke the next morning after his first restful sleep of the school year. He was only momentarily disoriented, but as he remembered his location, he thought he should also let the other members of the D.A. know where he was as well. He pulled the Galleon out of his pocket and set about charming it. "I'm where the Army trains," he wrote, and smiled as the coin became warm in his hands.

It only took Seamus five minutes to stumble into the room, out of breath, with his shirt only halfway buttoned up and his tie loose around his neck. With just a quick glance around the room, his eyes finally landing where Neville lounged on the bed, Seamus shouted, "What in Merlin's name have you been doing hiding out in here when they've got Hannah?"

Neville stared at him for a moment, unbelieving. The events of the night before came back to him, and as they did, words tumbled out of his mouth uncensored. "Merlin, no- she was supposed to meet me- forgot- never forgive me- what have I-"

Seamus cut him off. "Well mate, do you plan to sit there brooding about it all day? The rest of the D.A. is ready to go; we're off to rescue her!"

Things really had changed at Hogwarts. Seamus made rescuing an 18-year-old student from the hands of torturous professors sound like an adventure. What was almost stranger to Neville was how much he wanted to go on that adventure and how quickly he agreed. Sure enough, just outside the door stood the remnant of the D.A., trying awkwardly to pretend like there was nothing special about this hallway.

They split into three groups; Neville stayed with Seamus to get an account of what had happened since his disappearance the day before. "Best I can piece it together, Hannah was on her way to join you right around curfew last night. I was out in the hall meself to go talk to a few of the Ravenclaws and we passed each other. Alecto chose that moment to walk by and reprimanded the both of us for being out after hours- though we still had half an hour left. She just took Hannah, though, for punishment. Suppose she thinks you like her more than me, mate- that it would bother you most. Anyway, I followed them, once I was able to, and stood outside the old classroom they were in. I couldn't stay long; the screams were making me sick. So I went looking for you. But you hadn't told me where you'd gone and so I just went back to the tower, hoping I'd find you in the morning."

It was all hard to take in, and Neville said the first thing that came to mind. "If we know where she was being tortured, why did we split up to look for her?"

"Because I only know where she _was_. Carrow could've moved her after, in case I had followed them. Which, of course, I had."

They walked on for another five minutes and Seamus pushed open the door of an unused classroom. "Well, this is it."

Taking in the scene, Neville thought it might've been easier to handle if Hannah were actually in the room, if he could see how bad the damage was. About half the desks were pushed haphazardly against a back wall, the rest spread out as if to create a labyrinth. Few surfaces didn't have at least a trace of blood on them; in places, the blood was pooled so thick it seemed impossible that Hannah survived. Neville couldn't do anything but stare at the scene blankly. He couldn't believe the lapse in his judgement the night before; how did he forget that Hannah was to join him?

As he sat against a wall, trying his best to avoid the spots of drying blood, the D.A. coin warmed his pocket. He took it out to read the edges, but couldn't make out the small letters with his eyes so blurred from tears.

"They're in the Carrows's office! Come on, Neville!" Seamus said, before he'd had a chance to ask.

Neville blinked until he could see straight and took off running after his friend, not slowing down until they neared the office Alecto and Amycus shared. Michael Corner, Ernie Macmillan, and the Patil twins were waiting outside. "Where's Lavender?"

"She went in first and told us to wait for her," Ernie said. "But that was nearly 10 minutes ago."

"And no one's bothered to go in after her?" Seamus shouted.

"Well, we didn't hear her so it didn't seem like anything-" The rest of Michael's sentence was cut off when Seamus pushed open the heavy door to the office, and the screams once kept silent under the Muffliato spell penetrated the air. Seamus didn't even turn around to say he told them so before he was into the room, wand out and dueling. Neville slipped in behind him and everyone else followed, but rather than joining the fight, his eyes scanned the room for Hannah.

It didn't take long to find her. She was slumped in an armchair in the far corner of the classroom and she looked like she might be sleeping. Blood still trickled from gashes along her face and arms. Her robes were torn. Neville ducked to avoid the curses being shouted across the room and ran to her side, holding her. Once he felt her breathing steadily against him, and he had quickly tended to some of her wounds, he allowed himself to look up at the fight around him. Lavender lay on the floor against the wall where the door was, still writhing in pain. She'd been hit with Crucio one too many times, Neville thought, but wasn't sure what he would be able to do. The third group had joined them and now most of them had formed a circle around Amycus, who fought hard and dirty to try to keep himself from the worst of their curses.

"Where's Alecto?" Neville asked aloud, despite that everyone around him was otherwise occupied.

Hannah stirred in his arms, blinked a few times, and looked up at her boyfriend. It didn't make any sense in the condition she was in, but Neville was certain she was smiling some. He noticed she was pointing toward the desk opposite them, and it seemed to take all her effort to do so. He followed her finger and saw Alecto cowering in the corner, watching the fighting with bloodstains all along her arms and face. "Wow." He turned back to Hannah. "Did you do that?" She smiled up at him, then fell back to sleep in his arms.

Padma broke away from the circle of fighting and came to Neville's side. She began dressing Hannah's wounds, but stopped to look into Neville's eyes. Her face was set and her eyes cold as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Fight," she urged, and he obediently got out of the chair, wand drawn.

Alecto seemed to be recovering from whatever damage Hannah had done, so that was the direction Neville moved. She noticed him coming and labored to stand up, her wand held accusingly towards him. He matched her stance, walking slowly, hatred in his eyes. It was as if they were alone in a room full of chaos as they began to circle the desk. "What did you do to her?" he demanded.

"Wouldn't you like to know," she responded, her smile sadistic. She reminded Neville far too much of Bellatrix, and the comparison only kindled his fire. "My brother and I had quite a lot of fun with your little girlfriend, Longbottom. My only regret is you didn't hear the way she screamed."

"Don't you talk about her that way!" he said, and then did something he vowed he'd never do. "Crucio!"

Alecto fell to the ground, convulsing the way Lavender had been moments before. As Neville watched her, still holding his wand steady, still causing pain, part of him wanted to feel regret, or at least pity, for the woman. But his mind was filling with worst-case scenarios about what happened to Hannah, and though she looked nothing like the woman he tortured, Neville knew some of his magic was directed at Bellatrix. For his parents, for Sirius, for his girlfriend, for every scar on his body, Alecto was made to suffer. It felt wonderful.

Having exhausted the Unforgivable, he began to cut wounds onto her writhing body, trying his best to match the locations of his own scars to her. She begged for mercy that Neville wasn't willing to grant.

When she finally slumped, unconscious, against the wall, Neville turned to watch the main fight in the room just in time to see Seamus receive a deep cut above his left eyebrow. The distraction was enough for Michael Corner and Ernie to hit Amycus with a Stunning spell at the same time. He flew backwards and landed in a heap near his sister. The students began to flee the scene, and Neville turned to the chair where Padma was attending Hannah. "Come on, Padma. I'll help you with her," he said, adrenaline draining and leaving him exhausted and nearly sorry for the fight.

They trudged solemnly up and down stairs, Hannah being supported on either side by Neville and Padma, Lavender supported by Seamus and Susan. No one talked much, wearily nursing wounds, many limping, robes tattered and worn, debris from rubble mixing in with the blood on their faces. The six of them lagged behind, burdened with the most heavily wounded of the group, and when they arrived, the rest of the D.A. was already inside.

The Room of Requirement looked nothing like it had that morning when Neville left. The nice replica of his four-poster bed was gone; instead, around the room hung hammock after hammock in a variety of colors, banners for Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff on the back wall. A small doorway led to a washroom, and the bookshelf was more full than before and included what Neville knew to be Padma and Susan's favorite books on Healing.

All around him were gasps of how wonderful the room had become, but Neville was just confused. Just hours beforehand, the room was catered specifically to his needs, and while all his things were still here, piled next to a hammock in the corner, it wasn't _his_ anymore; with that realization, he seemed to forget everything that had gone on since he left the room that morning. "What happened?" he said, not realizing he was speaking aloud.

Michael Corner looked at him. "Well, mate, did you see the Carrows? We left them Stunned and bleeding in their office! Snape is sure to hear about it when they wake up. Do you really think that only your life is in danger now?"

Neville looked down and shuffled his feet some, feeling more embarrassed than he had all year. "Oh. Um. Right. I guess we should set up then." He quickly turned away before Michael could speak again.

As he turned toward his things, Neville noticed a row of cots near the washroom. Finding his confidence, he asked, "Who got here first and asked for the hospital? It's brilliant!"

"I got here first," Ernie said, "But I hadn't thought about the hospital specifically. I guess this Room is really beginning to understand us."

"Yeah, this place feels more like home now than the rest of Hogwarts does," Parvati added, her voice a mix of sadness and anger.

They spent the rest of the day setting up and taking care of Hannah and Lavender, who were recovering quickly under Padma and Susan's steady hands. Everyone was quieter than usual; there was something solemn about trying to make the place where they once trained for battle become the refuge where they hoped to escape with their lives.

As evening approached, or at least what felt like evening in the windowless room, the Army began to settle in for the night. Ernie came out of the washroom holding a pair of yellow and black pyjamas in his size and let everyone know there seemed to be a pile for each of them, with fresh robes as well for the next day. The atmosphere perked up some, but once everyone had changed, they gathered into the middle of the floor and sat down in a cluster. Both Lavender and Hannah had insisted on joining them; Hannah curled into Neville's side and Seamus had a protective arm around Lavender.

"I guess this is it, isn't it," Anthony Goldstein said dejectedly. "I guess this is where we stay until they find us."

"Or until we fight," Terry Boot added. "Harry's got to come back and fight at some point."

"Of course he will!" Neville said. "I don't know why he's gone, but he'll be back here again. I'm sure of it."

"Do you remember when we used to meet in here for the D.A.?" Padma asked after a short period of silence. "Back then, this room felt like an escape from Umbridge, and a way to practice, just in case. It's strange, how different it seems now."

"I know. Hogwarts used to feel like home, and here we are, trying to escape from it. I guess I knew things would be different this year, but I came back to school anyway, and now we're just trying to get away. Everything's changed," Seamus said, pressing gauze against the gash in his forehead. It soaked through far too quickly.

"The last time we all met in this room, I felt so alive. Every Patronus I ever cast was here. Back then, my happy memory was my first trip to Hogsmeade. I think if I had to cast one now, I'd remember the first time I got my Patronus right, and watching my boar run around everyone," Ernie said. Several members in the group began to nod, seeming to remember their own attempts at the spell, the family of sorts they'd created back then, the House unity that served as a foundation for the way they were now.

Hannah shifted in Neville's lap and he tried to comfort her, get her back to sleep, but she struggled against him. "Sometimes, I wish we could go back to then, too. When things were less complicated and Hogwarts felt like home. This place we live now, it's not where we belong; it's not really Hogwarts at all! Hogwarts isn't a place where we have to hide in fear for our lives because of our professors. But we can't go back to how it was. We're here. So I guess we just have to make do until we have to fight again."

Susan looked up from beside Hannah, a vacant look in her eyes and a growling in her stomach. "You're absolutely right. But how are we going to make do? I mean, well, I'm hungry. I don't suppose there's a way this Room could get us food? We definitely can't sneak out to the kitchens now."

The group looked around expectantly. When nothing happened, Michael said, "I guess there's something this Room can't do after all. Why didn't we think of that? I'm sure some of us could have stopped by the kitchen on the way upstairs."

"Well, it's not like any of us knew that. And I think we were more worried about making it here before the Carrows woke up than what we would do once we got here. I guess one of us will have to risk the trip down to the kitchen, then. Maybe just one person a day?" Parvati suggested.

There were voices of assent, but Neville was distracted by the wall opposite him. "Um, guys? Maybe it's just me, but I don't think that portrait was there a minute ago. Does anyone know who that girl is?" He walked up to the painting, everyone watching him, and when he arrived, the young girl beckoned him to follow. With a flinch and an act of faith, he stepped inside.


	10. My Heart

**A/N: I'm not JK Rowling. Dialogue in italics belongs to her, from the 2010 Bloomsbury edition of Deathly Hallows. Please accept my sincere apology for the fact that I am American, and spell like an American, but retain JKR's spellings and comma usage in anything that is a direct quote. Italics that aren't dialogue are for emphasis. This is also loosely inspired by Paramore's song, "My Heart." I don't own that either. This chapter ended up being really long, but that's unsurprising, I suppose, considering the quotes I've borrowed cover the space of about 150 pages of Deathly Hallows.**

Seamus bolted through the entrance to the Room of Requirement, hastily shutting the door behind him and struggling to catch his breath. He sank down against the wall and Lavender started to get up to go after him. She seemed to notice the blood at the same time as Neville did and ran, one hand over her mouth, to the washroom. Padma walked over to him instead, carefully taking his mangled left arm in her hand and surveying it and the gashes on his forehead. "Which Carrow?" she asked.

"Neither, actually. This was the work of Crabbe. I'm just thankful he didn't manage to get hold of a Carrow before I escaped. Wish I could've done more damage, but didn't think it was worth it. I knocked him out and ran back here instead."

Padma nodded sympathetically as she bandaged his arm. "Was he trying to figure out where we are again?"

"'Course he was. Seems all they care about these days." He winced. "Try to be a little gentler, would you? My arm had only just healed from last time."

"Sorry, Seamus. But if I don't do it right it may not heal at all." He sighed, but let her go about her work.

Meanwhile, Ernie and Terry came back through Ariana's portrait, hands full and more food floating in front of them. "Dinner's ready!" Terry shouted.

Students around the room jumped off of hammocks or couches to the dining room table they had finally decided to add just a few days before. Ernie sent a large pot of soup and a tray of meat to the table while Terry set their plates in front of each chair. Neville took his usual seat between Hannah and Anthony and sighed. He was appreciative for all Aberforth had done for them, but it didn't keep him from missing some of the more elaborate meals provided to them in the Great Hall downstairs.

Silence fell among the chattering students as they began to focus more on eating, but Seamus looked up from his meal to say, "I'm tired of all these covert operations to remind people we're still around. Those of us who go almost always get caught. And those of us who don't... Susan, when was the last time you left this Room?"

She looked up nervously from her meal. "The day we rescued Hannah," she said, meekly. "So, nearly two weeks, I guess."

"Exactly! So when are we going to do something? When do we get to tell people we're in a war, Neville?" No one answered; people looked awkwardly down at the food in front of them, some casting sidelong glances toward Neville.

"You know that isn't up to me to decide, mate. It all depends on Harry-"

"And what if Harry never comes back? What then? Do we just live in this room as refugees for the rest of our lives? What if Aberforth gets tired of feeding us? We're going to have to do something."

"Okay, you're right. We will have to do something at some point. What is it now, end of April?"

"First of May," Terry Boot said. "Aberforth mentioned something about it being warm for May as we gathered our food."

"So school will be out in less than two months. We're all of age, so once everyone is gone, if we don't fight, perhaps we could Apparate out of Hogsmeade one night?"

"That won't work, mate," Ernie added. "They've added a curfew. And a Caterwauling Charm- anyone so much as steps outside after hours and an alarm goes off that's bloody painful to listen to. Causes all the Death Eaters to go after them. Aberforth was complaining about how it had gone off last night due to a stray cat. Caused a real riot outside, since it was past midnight."

Neville paused to think. "Well, we could Apparate directly out of the bar, right? I mean, I know it's not polite, but it's possible." Murmurs of assent spread around the table. "Okay then. We stay until school's out, and then we escape."

"Why don't we just leave now?" asked Michael. "We aren't doing much good here. We just keep getting bloodied up."

"We have to be here if Harry comes back. We're the Army! We have to fight if there's a fight." Neville was assertive and sounded far more certain than he felt. But Harry had to come back, didn't he? Surely he would be there in the end.

After the dishes were cleaned and sent back to the Hog's Head with Parvati, the evening was passed in a tense silence, opposition obvious between those who wanted to leave immediately and those who were comfortable waiting it out. Some played Exploding Snap in a corner, but Neville was curled up in his hammock, a book in hand. Even Hannah wasn't willing to speak to him at the moment; Neville didn't think she was quite upset with him, just that she hated the tension in the room and refused to make it worse.

It was only his solitary occupation that had Neville glancing around the room more than usual, and because of it, he was the first to notice Ariana walking back into her frame. As she spent almost the entire time in the Hog's Head, so seeing her appearance mere hours after dinner was strange. Neville went up to see her. She smiled at him and beckoned him back into the passageway to the pub. "Um, everyone?" he said, a bit unsure of himself. "I don't know what Aberforth wants, but he's sent for me. So I'm, um, leaving now."

His classmates looked up, nodded, and went back to their preoccupations. He winced as he began walking down the tunnel. His fight with Alecto a few weeks previous had left him with a limp in his leg, and he had been careful not to walk on it too often, but Ariana's presence in the late evening was too much a curiosity to send someone in his place.

The walk took about five minutes, but he could see into the bar with about forty-five seconds to go. Aberforth seemed to be lecturing three other smaller figures. If he didn't know any better, he would say- but by that point, he was at the mantelpiece and absolutely certain. _"I knew you'd come! I _knew it, Harry!"

Without much entertainment besides the wireless that Aberforth had lent them, the D.A. had listened to every broadcast Lee Jordan hosted, keeping up on the rumors of what Harry was doing. Neville shrugged off their well-intentioned questions about his scars and life at Hogwarts in favor of finding out how much they heard was true. The trio persisted though, and while never lying, Neville did his best to shrug off the consequences they'd been facing. It wasn't like they were fighting dragons, after all, and Neville didn't want it to seem like he was trying to upstage them.

Soon, they arrived back into the Room of Requirement, and as Neville pushed through the door, he said to a crowd of disinterested people, _"Look who it is! Didn't I tell you!"_

Harry had only poked his longish, disheveled hair through the passage before the shouting began. _"HARRY!"_

"_It's Potter, it's POTTER!"_

"_Ron!"_

"_Hermione!"_

The members of the D.A., who were playing half-hearted games when he returned, were crowding around the three of them like they were some sort of Christmas present come early, or Quidditch stars, or something more than three of their classmates who had been missing for the better part of a year. The swarm of people stopped and the three of them began to take in the room, looking confused. "_Where are we?"_

Neville's excitement shown through his voice as he spoke, proud of all he had accomplished here. "_Room of Requirement, of course! Surpassed itself, hasn't it?"_

Harry caught the others up on what he'd been through, the accuracy of the Potterwatch broadcasts, but seemed exhausted by something, and like he was trying to get away. Neville had already charmed the D.A. coins to say that Harry was back and ready to fight, but he was beginning to second guess his decision. Seamus was the one to speak what they all had been thinking. "_What are we going to do then, Harry? What's the plan?_"

"_Plan? Well, there's something we - Ron, Hermione, and I - need to do, and then we'll get out of here."_

Neville's jaw went slack. It was the last thing he expected to hear from the person who wanted You-Know-Who gone most. He was so certain there would be a fight that his brain had to adjust to properly process the words. "_What d'you mean, 'get out of here'?"_

"_We haven't come back to stay. There's something important we need to do -"_

"_What is it?"_

"_I-I can't tell you."_

Neville wrinkled his eyebrows, furious at his old mate, who was being as secretive as always about things. Harry had to be here to fight! He had felt it in his blood, that something was happening, that it would all be over soon. Harry wasn't making any sense at all with his exclusion. "_Why can't you tell us? It's something to do with fighting You-Know-Who, right?"_

"_Well, yeah-"_

"_Then we'll help you."_ It was strange. All along, all these months, he felt like he was just doing what Harry would do in his place, just taking over where his mate left off. But it seems like even if Harry were there, he would hide away from the rest of the Army, not pull them together as Neville had. Inside him, pride and bitter anger fought for control of his emotions. Everyone else in the room was nodding their assent, standing by Neville- their leader- now that he had been proven right about Harry coming back.

"_You don't understand. We - we can't tell you. We've got to do it - alone."_

"_Why?"_ There was genuine confusion in Neville's voice. Why would he be masochistic enough to face You-Know-Who alone?

"_Because..." _He paused; thinking seemed to be far more difficult than it should be. "_Dumbledore left the three of us a job and we weren't supposed to tell - I mean, he wanted us to do it, just the three of us."_

Neville's voice grew in exasperation the more he spoke. _"We're his Army. Dumbledore's Army. We were all in it together, we've been keeping it going while you there have been off on your own-"_

"_It hasn't exactly been a picnic, mate," _Ron said.

"_I never said it had, but I don't see why you can't trust us. Everyone in this Room's been fighting and they've been driven in here because the Carrows were hunting them down. Everyone in here's proven they're loyal to Dumbledore - loyal to you."_ The events of the past few months came rushing back to him as he spoke, and he knew it was true. Every single person in the room was willing to lay down their life for Harry or Dumbledore or a chance at seeing You-Know-Who fall. Every single person in the room knew what was at stake; they'd already proven their loyalty. None of them remained unscarred.

Harry sighed. "_Look,"_ he began, but the tunnel door had opened, and Luna and Dean appeared.

"_We got your message, Neville! Hello you three, I thought you must be here!"_ Neville grinned at the sight of Luna doing so well, and noticed how they released hands just before coming into the room. Seamus was already hugging Dean, but Harry was staring at the pair, confused.

"_Luna, what are you doing here? How did you-?"_

"_I sent for her,"_ Neville said before Luna could reply. He held up the fake Galleon proudly. "_I promised her and Ginny that if you turned up I'd let them know. We all thought that if you came back, it would mean revolution. That we were going to overthrow Snape and the Carrows."_

"_Of course that's what it means. Isn't it, Harry? We're going to fight them out of Hogwarts?"_ Luna's voice was cheery as she spoke.

"_Listen, I'm sorry, but that's not what we came back for."_ He kept talking, but Neville couldn't take it in. This whole time, his hope had been on Harry. Neville knew he could lead for the interim, but when it came to overthrowing Hogwarts, he could never initiate that on his own. Harry was the leader, Harry was in charge, Harry was supposed to lead this rebellion. What would a battle be without him anyway?

People in the room were shouting at the trio, who justified themselves right back, without ever giving a concrete reason for why they were there. Neville found himself getting more and more frustrated, especially as more members of the D.A. crowded in. Harry turned to face him. "_You've got to stop this! What did you call them all back for? This is insane-"_

Before Neville had a chance to justify his actions, Dean took out his Galleon. _"We're fighting, aren't we? The message said Harry was back, and we were going to fight! I'll have to get a wand, though-"_

"_You haven't got a _wand?" asked Seamus.

Ron had got the attention of his two best friends and they were whispering to one another. Neville felt he'd made a fool of himself, calling everyone back just at the sight of Harry, an assumption that they would fight. After the year he'd had, he knew that in Harry's shoes, he would be issuing a call for immediate action. Since he thought himself as just filling in Harry's shoes for the year, Harry's reluctance to fight was incomprehensible to him now. Just then, Harry spoke to the whole room, something about how the war against You-Know-Who depended on them finding Ravenclaw's lost diadem. It seemed ludicrous, but Harry usually knew what he was talking about, and Neville was glad to finally step down from leadership for a moment.

But then, as Harry was ready to follow Luna to Ravenclaw's tower, Harry turned to Neville for the second time in minutes. "_How do we get out?"_

"_Over here,"_ he said, showing the pair to the small cupboard. "_It comes out somewhere different every day, so they've never been able to find it. Only trouble is, we never know exactly where we're going to end up when we go out. Be careful, Harry, they're always patrolling the corridors at night."_

"_No problem. See you in a bit."_

Harry and Luna left the room and its growing number of occupants turned to him expectantly. "So Longbottom, what's the plan?" Fred asked.

"Well I suppose we get the rest of the Army here, and the Order of course. Regardless what Harry says, I have a feeling we'll be fighting tonight. And we could use all the help we can get. In the meantime... I guess we wait for further orders. Wait- Ron, Hermione, where are you going?"

"We just remembered something- could be important. It's in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom," Ron said, taking Hermione's hand and helping her out.

"Right, you two," Seamus called after them, when they were sure not to hear. "We know you're just finding a place for a good snog!"

"Our little Ronniekins, all grown up, eh Fred?"

"That's right, George."

People kept coming through, and Neville was starting to feel a little sorry for Aberforth. They were on friendly terms, certainly, but Neville found him too blunt, too gritty to develop much of an attachment to him. He could imagine the inconvenience that it was to become a bus stop on the way into Hogwarts, and he made a mental note to personally thank Aberforth for his generosity when he got the chance. Neville didn't even recognize half the people coming in the room anymore. A tall black man accompanied his old professor Lupin, and he recognized some of the older members from the Gryffindor Quidditch team, though he didn't know their names. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley came as well.

The room was full of reminiscing, catching up between those who had been too scared to keep in contact over the past year or were secluded in safe houses that prevented all but the most necessary of communication. It was buzzing with almost palpable excitement, but Neville simply stood in the middle, taking it all in. Suddenly there was noise from the staircase as Harry and Luna came back inside. Everyone turned to look at him, but Lupin was there at the bottom of the stairs and spoke to him as he approached. "_Harry, what's happening?"_

"_Voldemort's on his way, they're barricading the school - Snape's run for it - what are you doing here? How did you know?"_ Neville stopped to take in Harry's list. So much had happened in so few minutes. It really would all come down to this.

"_- the DA let the Order of the Phoenix know, and it all kind of snowballed,"_ Fred was saying.

"_What first, Harry? What's going on?"_

"_They're evacuating the younger kids and everyone's meeting in the Great Hall to get organized. We're fighting._"

Neville was neither the first nor the loudest to shout happily in response, but he felt the adrenaline rushing to fill his veins as the crowd pushed toward the staircase to go back into the main castle. He wasn't sure where Hannah was, so the moment he was back in the main part of Hogwarts he looked around for her, but the hallway was already deserted. He hoped she was with Susan or somebody, wondered if he had already seen her alive for the last time. But he didn't let the thought linger. It seemed the fight hadn't started yet; Hogwarts was protected and they were doing everything possible to keep the younger students safe before the castle would become a battle site. He arrived in the Great Hall and smiled at Hannah, who sat by Susan at the Hufflepuff table, but sat down with the Gryffindors. Professor McGonagall filled everyone in on what had happened, but soon she was interrupted by a voice that seemed to penetrate every space in the castle.

"_I know you are preparing to fight. Your efforts are futile. You cannot fight me. I do not want to kill you. I have great respect for the teachers of Hogwarts. I do not want to spill magical blood. Give me Harry Potter and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter, and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter, and you will be rewarded._

_You have until midnight."_

A silence spread over the room, swallowing up the screams from bewildered students who didn't recognize the voice. It was broken by the shrill voice of Pansy Parkinson, who stood up at the Slytherin table and pointed at Harry Potter. "_But he's there! Potter's _there!_ Someone grab him!_" she shrieked, and like everyone else at the Gryffindor table, Neville stood up to face Pansy. He watched with pride as the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs rose to do the same thing. He held his wand out at her, proud to know where his school stood after all they had been through.

A battle plan was decided on, and Neville followed Professor Sprout to gather the best plants for waging battle with. He was proud when he suggested Mandrakes and she looked at him and beamed. "Yes, of course! But don't forget to grab earmuffs."

Soon, far sooner than he wished, the defensive spells cast around the castle had been penetrated and the battle had begun. He stayed on a tower, casting plant after plant out of a window, floating them along with his wand and aiming for the rows of approaching Death Eaters. From afar, the battle left Neville with a rush of excitement. He found this sort of ambushing - very little risk, and such easy targets - wonderful. But once most of the Death Eaters were inside, he knew it was time to go down into the heart of the castle and face the battle up close. It was time to duel. He couldn't help thinking, with a rush of vengeful pride, that he hoped to run in to Bellatrix.

Instead, though, he found himself in dueling Death Eaters he'd never heard of, firing curses at them, narrowly avoiding the Unforgivables being shot his way. He half-wished they'd taken their confinement in the Room of Requirement more seriously, done more dueling between them, but it was on his own shoulders to have suggested it, and the idea had never crossed his mind until now. He didn't know many jinxes besides those that had been performed on him, but it turned out he had underestimated the power of a well-placed Jelly-Legs Jinx. It threw his target off guard long enough for Neville to Stun him, take his wand, and give it to Dean, who was trying and failing at some sort of wandless magic, Luna by his side, "It's okay, Dean. I'm sure you'll be able to do it at some point. But it looks like Neville has an extra wand now. I suppose it's for you. Perhaps you might want to open your eyes."

Neville smiled as Dean un-scrunched his face and looked at Neville gratefully. He took the wand and began firing his own spells. Thankfully, the wand responded to him well and they kept moving.

Time was strange as they fought. Each duel seemed to be in slow motion and mere seconds felt like hours as they fought one on one. But the night itself passed as one blur, individual attacks melding together and remaining one mashed-up memory, adding to it every moment. He tried his best to be aware of people around him, the locations of allies if they were to need assistance, places where enemies might come and attack, but it was difficult not to get tunnel vision, to only see the masked man he was currently fighting.

"Hello, dearie! Need a hand?"

Though he recognized her voice in an instant, Neville refused to turn around until he knew he had defeated the Death Eater in front of him. "Gran! Good to see you! How did you hear?"

"I have my ways. _Furnunculous!_" The Death Eater in front of her broke out in boils. Augusta Longbottom smiled then turned her attention back to her grandson. "Have you been keeping busy this evening, then?"

"Definitely. I was helping Professor Sprout with using some plants as warfare. You should have seen the way some of them were caught in the Devil's Snare! And they kept struggling! It's like they didn't even know what it was. Made me laugh some, honestly. _Petrificus Totalus!"_

"Oh Neville, I'm so proud of you! So like your parents. You've been leading the D.A., I hear. Miss Abbott seemed impressed when I spoke to her earlier."

"Yeah, I've been leading it. Didn't feel I had much a choice, with Harry on the run. _Protego!_ Oh, and have I told you? Hannah's my girlfriend. _Stupefy!_"

"Is she now? A lovely girl, she is. A great choice." With a momentary relief from the onset of Death Eaters, she took a moment to squeeze him close and pinch one of his cheeks.

"Gran!"

"Sorry, dear."

Soon, but after far too long, Voldemort's voice took over the castle again. They had an hour, he said, to treat the injured, to do what they could with the dead. Oh Merlin, there were some who were dead. Neville, who had been on the outskirts of the battle, away from the Great Hall, felt queasy to think of who he might see there. _Not Hannah,_ he thought. But then ran through the whole list of his friends. Who could he possibly do without? But almost unfeelingly, he followed his grandmother to the Great Hall, began assessing bodies. He found Padma, who was injured but still working, and did what he could to help her. Then with her assistance, they turned to more to help.

"Let's split up, Neville. I think we'll get more done, and I think they could use some help with- with the-"

He couldn't blame her for not being able to say the words. There was something so impersonal, so inhuman, about calling friends and allies "bodies." But as he was kneeling over the unknown body of a member of the Order, he heard his name.

"_Blimey, Harry, you nearly gave me heart failure!"_ No one was there a moment ago, but Harry had appeared, no doubt making use of that Cloak of his. "_Where are you going, alone?"_ He had a feeling that Harry would want to give himself up. Especially looking around them now at the dead.

Harry shrugged off Neville's suspicion, promising him that he just had something to take care of. He didn't believe him for a minute, but took Harry's request - his last request? - seriously. "_Kill the snake?"_

"_Kill the snake,"_ his friend affirmed.

Neville tried once more to make sure Harry was doing all right, but soon he was on his way again. There wasn't much work left to do in the room, though less than half of the hour had already passed. People gathered around each body: co-workers, teachers, friends, loved ones. Not a single person was left unattended and Neville felt a wave of emotion at the gravity of it all. He recognized Evie Thompson's mother from the young girl's funeral. She was hugging the limp body of a woman who looked just like her. _No. Not her sister, too_.

Nearby, Seamus had grabbed Padma and pulled her to another body, this one still moving, moaning slightly in pain. Neville walked toward them in time to see the slashes across Lavender's face. "Fix her, Padma!" Seamus cried. "She has to be okay!"

"I'm trying, Seamus! Will you let me work?"

Further on was a group of Weasleys. "Fred..." The agony in George's voice was apparent from across the room. He was openly weeping over the body of his brother. Percy, Neville noticed, had his hand pressed firmly on George's shoulder, tears streaming down his own face.

With nothing left for him to do, Neville sat down at an unoccupied part of the Gryffindor table. In doing so, he realized just how exhausted he was. Awake for more than eighteen hours, and so much had happened during the last few, he was ready to lay down his head to sleep. Just as he was about to close his eyes, his head resting on his elbow, the high, eerie voice of Voldemort once again took over the room.

"_Harry Potter is dead. He was killed as he ran away, trying to save himself while you lay down your lives for him. We bring you his body as proof that your hero is gone._

"_The battle is won. You have lost half your fighters. My Death Eaters outnumber you and the Boy Who Lived is finished. There must be no more war. Anyone who continues to resist, man, woman or child, will be slaughtered, as will every member of their family. Come out of the castle, now, kneel before me, and you shall be spared. Your parents and children, your brothers and sisters will live, and be forgiven, and you will join me in the new world we shall build together."_

No. Neville refused to believe that Harry Potter was dead. And if he was, _if he was_, it was not because he ran away. If Neville was sure of one thing, it's that Harry would never try to save himself at the expense of others. Voldemort had called them outside, but no one was moving. Like himself, they all seemed to be in shock, unwilling to believe that the Boy Who Lived would die. As far as he knew, the snake was still alive. And Harry had made it clear that the snake needed to die for Voldemort to be defeated. But if Harry was gone- maybe the war really was over. It had only taken hours for everything to be lost.

"_Come,"_ Voldemort repeated, and slowly, as though sleepwalking, the survivors began to drag their feet outside.

As they gathered in the courtyard, Professor McGonagall, who was near the beginning, screamed, "_No!"_ with far more emotion than Neville thought she was capable of. And soon her anguish was echoed throughout the crowd.

"_Harry! HARRY!" _Ginny cried. Neville wanted to go to her, to comfort her, but he was paralyzed, staring at Hagrid and the limp body in his arms.

"_SILENCE! It is over! Set him down, Hagrid, at my feet, where he belongs! You see? Harry Potter is dead! Do you understand now, deluded ones? He was nothing, ever, but a boy who relied on others to sacrifice themselves for him!"_

"_He beat you!"_ Ron's voice seemed to break the charm of the silence, and other voices of dissent joined his, though Neville wasn't sure what Ron meant.

"_He was killed while trying to sneak out of the castle grounds, killed while trying to save himself-"_

That was all Neville could take. He pushed his way forward, wand out, charging at Voldemort. Harry Potter was not the kind of person to do that, and the pleasure in Voldemort's voice was too much. But he wasn't quick enough and before he'd taken three steps, he was disarmed and lying on the expanse of ground that separated the two groups.

"_And who is this? Who has volunteered to demonstrate what happens to those who continue to fight when the battle is lost?"_

Neville did not miss the gleam of happiness in Bellatrix's eyes when she recognized him. "_That is Neville Longbottom, my Lord! The boy who has been giving the Carrows so much trouble! The son of the aurors, remember?"_

"_Ah, yes, I remember."_ Neville tried to ignore him and began to pull himself up. His wand- where was his wand? As he got onto his feet he saw it, tossed about five feet in front of him. That was five feet too close to Voldemort and he made no attempt to recover it. "_But you are a pure-blood, aren't you my brave boy?"_

Brave? Even Voldemort was calling him brave? "_So what if I am?"_ he nearly shouted. So what if I _am_ brave, he thought. After all, I'm a Gryffindor.

"_You show spirit, and bravery, and you come of noble stock. You will make a very valuable Death Eater. We need your kind, Neville Longbottom."_

"_I'll join you when hell freezes over! Dumbledore's Army!" _He raised a fist in the air and had to keep himself from beaming at the chorus of shouting from behind him.

Voldemort met his shouting with a measured tone, almost a whisper. His words were all the worse for their quiet. "_Very well. If that is your choice, Longbottom, we revert to the original plan. On your head, be it."_

Behind him came the sound of breaking glass, and the Sorting Hat flew past his head and into Voldemort's waiting hand. "_There will be no more Sorting at Hogwarts School. There will be no more houses. The emblem, shield, and colours of my noble ancestor, Salazar Slytherin, will suffice for everyone, won't they, Neville Longbottom?"_

Using his wand, he forced the hat onto Neville's head. For a split second, he felt like a first year again. There he stood in front of everyone, the Sorting Hat coming down over his eyes like before. But the fear, the clumsiness, the awkwardness, they were all gone. As Voldemort had proclaimed to the crowd that he was being made an example of- which Neville found was nothing new, after the Carrows- he realized he was completely unable to move. The Body-Bind Curse made no sense- until he felt the Hat inflame.

Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. And with the willpower he had learned to use to fight off the worst of the Crucios, he shook off the Body-Bind Curse and threw the hat on the ground in front of him. It made a clanging sound and he reached down and into it, trying to see what could possibly have appeared in the split second since it left his head. Around him there was only chaos. The war had broken out again. But his world contained only himself, the hat, and whatever it contained.

He reached inside.

The thought had barely registered in his head- _It's a sword, Neville!-_ before he had a grasp on its jewel-encrusted handle. Nagini lay in front of him. There was no way. It was just too simple. But in one swing, Nagini's head was flung in the opposite direction of her body as both collapsed to the ground, pooling in her own blood.

Harry's body was gone. But now was not the time to look for it, to mourn his friend. He followed the battle inside, deflecting curses, and amazed at how even the straightest shots from the Death Eaters seemed to miss him, miss his friends. Every curse and jinx they sent out, however, seemed to be on target. It was as if their grief over losing Harry was fueling them, making their magic better, stronger than before.

But then, suddenly, Harry was there in the room. Harry and Voldemort circled each other as Harry explained everything that had happened. In Neville's mind, the pieces seemed to come together one by one. But still, despite everything his friend knew about Voldemort, he called him by his given name and begged him to feel remorse.

When he didn't, it was only inevitable that he would fall, his own curse backfired to end him. The morning sun was beginning to fill the room. The clouds visible on the ceiling were tinted pinkish orange, and everything was really over. They had won. In a corner, Seamus held Lavender, who still seemed to be shaking from pain, but she was alive. Molly wouldn't let Ginny away from her sight. Harry went off to be by himself. It was all a breath of fresh air after a sleepless night, but Neville was only in the mood for the company of one person.

She wasn't in the Great Hall, so Neville assumed she had slipped out to take a walk near the lake. After all, her mother was an early casualty in the war, and her father had left the country to be safe. Hannah had no one else, so Neville turned to his Gran, gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, and said, "I'll be right back."

It had been weeks, maybe more than a month, since he'd been outside like this. He could hardly count the last few minutes of battle. The morning breeze chilled him some and he wrapped his arms around himself to keep warm. Hannah was where he expected her, sitting on the west side of the bank, watching the sun begin to reflect over the water. He reached down and gently squeezed her shoulder.

He was at a loss for words as she turned around to face him, and she seemed to feel the same way. Her eyes were on the verge of tears, but Neville wasn't sure if they were relief or sadness or something else entirely. He realized his own eyes felt watery. Not sure what else to do, he pulled her close and held her, kissed the top of her hair. She rested her face against his chest. "Your heart; it's still beating," Hannah said. "For a while, I wasn't- I wasn't sure I would still have you."

Neville placed his hand on her chin and lifted it up so he could kiss her. "For a while, I wasn't sure you would still have me, either. But I'm here. And my heart is yours."

**A/N: And so that is it. This is the end. If you've been following and haven't had a chance to leave a review yet, I would love for you to drop me a quick line, let me know why you liked it and followed it. If you have been reviewing, why stop now?**


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